Does the Knitting Blogosphere Need Mint Oil?

What a question: does the knitting blogosphere need mint oil?

Why do I ask?

Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, fairly soon after we were married, my husband and I went travelling. In the early years of our marriage, we did a lot of primitive camping, because campground fees back in those days were extremely cheap.

We had a Michigan county map book and a booklet that listed pretty much every campground everywhere. After a couple of days in a primitive campground, we'd move on to one with hot showers, no doubt one of the reasons that I still count indoor hot water as a blessing after all these years.

One hot summer night, quite late, we were heading west across the middle of Michigan, looking for a campground. It must have been late, because it was dark. In the darkness, we smelled mint.

"We're by St. Johns," my husband said.

Mint has been grown in St. Johns, Michigan, since the 1800's. When there are fields full of mint, the air blowing across it is full of the scent. It smells nothing like an air freshener.

This is the memory that came rushing back to me: putting up our little dome tent in the minty-smelling darkness and crawling into our sleeping bags, when I read that the Crosby Mint farm had been sold in a mortgage foreclosure sale for $300,000.

They are trying to redeem the farm by selling 77,000 dram bottles of pure mint oil by November 1. They are down to 61,000 (and counting) as of October 31st.

I just bought a couple of bottles. And I know when I smell them, I am going to feel like my 17 years younger self, setting up a tent in warm dark mint-scented summer air.

Anyone else need a couple of bottles of mint oil?

ETA: The website sometimes is unavailable, I hope due to hits pouring in! Here is an article in the Detroit Free Press about the farm and one on the WLNS TV 6 news website.

I don't know about import/export regulations or shipping to Australia (probably expensive!), but what they are selling is peppermint and spearmint essential oil. I can tell you from experience that the scent alone wakes me up. And I just read that mint oil on a cotton ball is supposed to repel mice! Hey, I know a spot where I need to put a minty cotton ball.